The editorial positions at magazines, newspapers, websites, broadcast outlets and other forms of media vary widely from profession to profession and even media outlet to media outlet in the same profession. Assistant and associate editors vary widely in their duties and responsibilities from company to company, and these two titles sometimes describe the same position, which often supports writers and editors with a variety of writing, editing, planning, fact-checking and research tasks.

The editorial positions at magazines, newspapers, websites, broadcast outlets and other forms of media vary widely from profession to profession and even media outlet to media outlet in the same profession. Assistant and associate editors vary widely in their duties and responsibilities from company to company, and these two titles sometimes describe the same position, which often supports writers and editors with a variety of writing, editing, planning, fact-checking and research tasks.

Editor Titles

Depending on how many editors a media outlet employs, the company has many options for job titles. Executive positions with bottom-line business responsibilities include executive editor, editor-in-chief and editor. Editors and writers who produce most of an outlet’s articles are senior editors. Those who write or report on specific subjects have a title related to an area of expertise, such as business, fashion or technology editor. An outlet’s regular freelancers or experts who review information before it’s aired or published are contributing editors. The person who coordinates the workflow of writers, editors, graphic artists, videographers and photographers at a magazine is a managing editor. This title often goes to the anchor of a new broadcast show.

Assistant and Associate Editors

The titles assistant editor and associate editor sometimes refer to a lower-level editor who supports a senior person or group of editors. These editors can be little more than grunts at some outlets or hold more significant roles at others. Before you accept a job with either of these titles, discuss with your potential employer your possible career path with the company and how you can move up the ladder. If they are low-level positions, look for job opportunities that move you out of these positions in one year or less, once you’ve learned the ropes at a specific company. If an assistant editor position is more comprehensive, you might be happy to stay in it for years. If you know the company is not savvy in the ways of journalism or professional content production, you might suggest a different title for yourself -- your employer might have no problem with changing the title.

Job Duties

Low-level assistant and associate editors might be allowed to write print articles or file broadcast pieces, but often help senior editors in their responsibilities. This might include researching information a writer can use for a story she’s working on. The job might include fact-checking information after an article is written and before it goes to print or airs. These editors often write headlines, run spell checks and do simple edits to remove typos or grammatical errors. At larger media outlets, an assistant editor can have a more substantive role, including handling the duties of higher-ranked editors when they are away, planning editorial calendars, assigning stories and managing and evaluating other editors, reporters and writers.

Moving Up the Ladder

If the assistant or associate editor position you take does not come with much writing or management opportunity, one way to move up to a more senior editorial position is to volunteer to write articles or produce stories once you get a feel for the content your employer needs. If you can’t get that opportunity, get permission to write or produce for other media outlets that don’t compete with your company. For example, write for trade magazines, your local newspaper or a nonprofit website. If you have a hobby, write for a special-interest magazine in that space or produce short videos for a website that gives you a byline.

2016 Salary Information for Editors

Editors earned a median annual salary of $57,210 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, editors earned a 25th percentile salary of $40,480, meaning 75 percent earned more than this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $79,490, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 127,400 people were employed in the U.S. as editors.

About the Author

Sam Ashe-Edmunds has been writing and lecturing for decades. He has worked in the corporate and nonprofit arenas as a C-Suite executive, serving on several nonprofit boards. He is an internationally traveled sport science writer and lecturer. He has been published in print publications such as Entrepreneur, Tennis, SI for Kids, Chicago Tribune, Sacramento Bee, and on websites such Smart-Healthy-Living.net, SmartyCents and Youthletic. Edmunds has a bachelor's degree in journalism.